Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
Learn more

La Merced Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in La Merced

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in La Merced actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $558 in La Merced, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
La Merced $558

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $910 in La Merced, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
La Merced $910

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,263 in La Merced, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
La Merced $1,263

Chiang Mai costs about 68% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and La Merced are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, La Merced 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$4.38 PEN 15.10

-51.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$34.86 PEN 120

-46.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.01 PEN 24.19

-20.11%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.18 PEN 10.97

-47.80%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.08 PEN 3.72

-39.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.65 PEN 2.24

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.57 PEN 8.86

-9.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.29 PEN 14.81

-14.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.58 PEN 5.44

27.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$2.07 PEN 7.15

-31.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.28 PEN 4.43

8.59%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.35 PEN 8.11

0.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.33 PEN 25.29

125.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$5.78 PEN 19.94

-53.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$8.68 PEN 29.94

3.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$0.92 PEN 3.17

160.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$0.45 PEN 1.56

131.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$0.30 PEN 1.04

453.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.71 PEN 2.46

119.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.28 PEN 0.96

342.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.45 PEN 1.55

142.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.60 PEN 2.07

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.87 PEN 3.01

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.63 PEN 19.42

-26.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$7.33 PEN 25.30

144.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.90 PEN 6.56

-14.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$3.08 PEN 10.61

-8.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$3.43 PEN 11.84

-65.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$2.07 PEN 7.14

-91.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.64 PEN 26.37

-76.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.64 PEN 5.65

-10.37%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$21.7K PEN 75.0K

-3.39%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

-8.38%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$62.6 ฿2,103

$66.7 PEN 230

-6.14%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.60 ฿390

$15.80 PEN 54.5

-26.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$27.06 PEN 93.4

-24.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.14 PEN 24.63

-8.82%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$727 ฿24.4K

$318 PEN 1,096

128.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$12.7K PEN 43.6K

31.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$53.3 PEN 184

0.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$35.12 PEN 121

-29.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$83.7 PEN 289

7.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$79.1 PEN 273

-9.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.78

-36.56%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

La Merced

$185 33.1% 21.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

La Merced

$113 20.3% 4.3% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

La Merced

$110 19.6% 15.9% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

La Merced

$123 22% 60.1% $46

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 76.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

La Merced

$14 * 2.6% 71.9% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in La Merced. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $185 in La Merced – so La Merced wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

18:42 6:42 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.88 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai La Merced 18,940 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
La Merced

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chiang Mai vs La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 68% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $837 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $35 in La Merced. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $558, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $558 in La Merced to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.